In the princely state of Aundh in Maharashtra, 1938 was a rather extraordinary year. The ruler of Aundh, Raja Bhawanrao, stepped down and turned to Mahatma Gandhi to help implement a Swaraj Constitution in the state. Self-governance and community service were guiding principles of this experiment. The experiment was led by Gandhi, the Raja of Aundh, and a Polish engineer and humanitarian, Maurice Frydman. Upon enactment of the “Aundh State Constitution Act”, Aundh became South Asia's first modern Constitutional republic.

In our latest episode "The Aundh Experiment" we talk about this extraordinary episode in Indian history.

Joining us on this episode is Dr Rinku Lamba, Associate Professor, Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, NLSIU Bengaluru. Through the conversation, we explore the feasibility of a Gandhian Constitution and how to understand seeming contradictions in Gandhi’s political thought.

The episode features an excerpt from Ambedkar’s speech to the Constituent Assembly in 1946. There are two clips of Gandhi’s favorutie bhajan - Vaishnav Jan To - one performed by the Symphony Orchestra of India and the other commissioned by the Government of India on the occasion of Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. There is also a short audio clip from the Oscar winning movie, Gandhi.

References:

1. Another Realism, The Politics of Gandhian Non Violence, Karuna Mantena
2. An Unusual Raja, Apa Pant (Book)
3. What might a Gandhian constitution have looked like?, Sidin Vaidukut
4. How princely state of Aundh adopted a Gandhian constitution, Nirmal Jovial
5. Constituent Assembly Debates

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